He was in good spirits and relieved yesterday's procedure went
so well, Harris said. "We didn't find anything that was scary at
all," he said.

Rehabilitation could start in about a week and Deuel could be
home by the end of next month, Harris said.

In the hours leading up to surgery, however, Deuel was anxious,
wanting the procedure done but worrying he wouldn't wake up, Harris
said. Once the surgery preparations began, he began to relax.

"He was singing right up to the part where they put the tube in
his mouth," Harris said.

Deuel had been bedridden since the last northern autumn and was
malnourished because so many of his calories came from foods high
in fat and carbohydrates.

Deuel had difficulty breathing and suffered from high blood
pressure and diabetes linked to obesity that his doctor said were
killing him.

Gastric bypass surgery was thought to be his best chance for
permanent weight loss, but doctors said Deuel needed to first lose
some weight, to gain enough strength so he could walk on his own
and prove he was healthy enough to survive the surgery.

Caregivers and others were starting to take notice of the
changes, he said.

"Every time I move they don't look at me like, 'My God, he is
going to fall down or something'," Deuel told Sioux Falls
television station KELO in an interview before the surgery.

Last month, Deuel took his first steps with the help of nurses
and two walkers for support. More recently, he has been walking up
stairs and even swimming at the hospital's pool.

Gastric bypass is the most common obesity surgery in the United
States. The operation involves creating a pouch in the upper
stomach and attaching it to a section of intestine, reducing the
amount of food patients can eat.

Deuel, a former restaurant manager from Valentine, Nebraska, is
just under 1.8 metres tall (to Americans six feet) and has always
fought his weight. He weighed about 40 kg in kindergarten and more
than 250 113 kg in middle (high) school.